The Castle
by Zebediah
Summary: The Castle is the ultimate vacation resort for the ultra-rich, a floating pleasure dome outside the control of any law enforcement agency. Echo is given a unique personality imprint and sent to investigate. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**The Castle**

**Chapter 1**

"The Castle doesn't exist," Laurence Dominic objected. "It's a myth."

Adelle DeWitt leaned back in her chair and smiled archly. "Of course they don't exist, Laurence," she said. "But then, neither does the Dollhouse. Can't you see the potential synergy?"

Dominic snorted. "A floating pleasure dome for the ultra-rich, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? They sound more like they'd be competitors to us. Assuming that they're real."

"Oh, they're quite real," DeWitt said. "And they're not exactly competitors. They offer the ultimate secure location in which people of sufficient means can live out their fantasies. While we offer – the fantasy." She reached for a large red folder on her desk. "We'd complement each other marvelously. We'd give their clients another service, and they would give _us_ the solution to many of our security problems."

Dominic shook his head. "I can't believe the Board of Directors has agreed to this. They've always been very careful to preserve our independence."

"Nothing's been agreed to yet, Laurence," DeWitt pointed out. "The Directors have merely authorized us to undertake a fact-finding mission, to see if Mr. Kassel's facility lives up to its reputation."

"So you're going," Dominic said, barely able to keep the disapproval from his voice.

DeWitt smiled again. "Oh, no," she said. "Not precisely, anyway. I'm sending Echo."

* * *

"What?" The smile vanished from Topher Brink's face when he heard what DeWitt had in mind. "No," he continued. "Do you have any idea how dangerous…"

"Come now, Topher," DeWitt interrupted. After her meeting with Dominic, she'd gone down to Brink's laboratory to discuss her requirements with Brink and Dr. Saunders. "I know I'm in your files. You've imprinted my personality on Actives before."

"But only selected portions of it, not the whole thing," Brink pointed out. "And you know how our previous experiments with single-persona imprints have turned out."

"I'm not asking you to use _only_ my personality, Topher," DeWitt said. "Echo will need my memories and my negotiating skills. But I trust you to come up with a persona that will be suitably compatible with Echo's brain."

"It's not just that," Dr. Saunders chimed in. "We've always been very careful to ensure that the imprinted personalities don't know anything about the Dollhouse. _This_ persona would know. What's more, she'd know that _she's_ an active."

"Right," Brink agreed. "And that could trigger all kinds of psychotic reactions. I really can't predict…"

"We'll have sufficient opportunity to ensure that the imprinted personality is stable before Echo is deployed," DeWitt assured him. "Besides, I've always wondered what it feels like to be an Active. Now I'll know."

"No, you wont," Brink objected. "_She'll_ know, not you. I won't be able to imprint her memories into your head when she gets back. Unless you want to risk scrambling your own mind."

DeWitt shrugged. "A pity. Still, she'll know me well enough to be able to describe it to me in sufficient detail, I'm sure."

"I can't recommend that you use Echo," Saunders said. "Her last few missions have exposed some irregularities in her behavior. Until I have a chance to figure out what's going on in her head, I have her flagged for low-risk missions only."

"Those 'irregularities', as you call them, are precisely why I want Echo for this job," DeWitt said. "She's shown an ability to think outside the box, beyond the constraints of her programming. That's what she'll need for this mission."

Brink stood up from his chair. "Look, Miss DeWitt, what do I have to say to explain to you how crazy this is?"

"I'm aware of the risks, _Mister_ Brink," DeWitt snapped. "The Board and I have judged them to be acceptable. Now, stop stalling and set up your equipment. You'll need an up-to-date scan of me for this to work."

Brink slumped down in his chair and shook his head. "I'm not going to take responsibility if we wind up losing Echo," he muttered.

"Don't worry, Topher, you've made your objections perfectly clear," DeWitt said. "But the Board has authorized this. It's out of your hands."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Echo," Boyd Langton said, "it's time for your treatment."

He'd found Echo finishing up a run on the treadmills. When she was in the _tabula rasa_ state, she spent most of her time exercising. One never knew what kinds of physical demands an imprinted personality might require. The Actives always had to be in top condition.

Echo smiled at Langton, and hopped off the treadmill. Her unquestioning acceptance of his authority unnerved Langton a bit. She reminded him of a puppy he'd once owned – always eager to please, absolutely thrilled to be given attention. It made Langton wonder how much really went on behind Echo's enormous brown eyes. Certainly she was intelligent, but when she had no imprint, there didn't seem to be much of anyone home.

Except, sometimes, he'd see something different. There were times when he suspected that at least some of it was an act, and that there was more personality there than Brink or DeWitt suspected.

Langton hadn't mentioned this to his superiors, of course. If Echo really was more than just a programmable doll, the last thing he wanted was for that to be taken from her.

He led her to Topher Brink's lab, which Langton couldn't help but think of as the "chamber of horrors." What went on in there – well, it didn't bear thinking about. Adelle DeWitt and Claire Saunders were also there, unusually; but then, this was an unusual implant.

"Hello, Echo," DeWitt said. "Are you ready?"

Echo settled down onto the implant table. "Will this hurt?" she asked.

"No," Brink assured her as he adjusted the implantation device around her head. "You might fall asleep, though."

Echo, as always, accepted that assurance without question.

Brink shook his head, and said, "Here we go." He flipped a switch.

Echo fell asleep…

… and somebody else woke up.

"Oh, my," she said, in the unmistakable London accent of Adelle DeWitt.

She slowly rose from the table, looking down at her arms, flexing her fingers. A smile spread across her face. "Oh my," she repeated.

"The implant looks stable," Brink said, staring at his monitors. "For now, anyway."

DeWitt took a step forward. "How do you feel, Echo?" she asked.

"Not Echo," she replied, staring DeWitt in the face. "Adelle."

"Ah," DeWitt said, nodding. "Of course. Adelle. How does it feel?"

"What, how does it feel to be staring myself in the face?" Adelle asked, smiling, looking DeWitt up and down. "Disorienting, a bit. Nothing I – we – didn't expect, of course."

"And the implantation process?" DeWitt prompted.

"Like falling asleep," Adelle said. "And then waking up – fifteen years younger." She glanced back down at her own body, then gave DeWitt's figure a critical stare.

DeWitt seemed to grow uncomfortable under Adelle's gaze. "Excellent," she said. "We'll have Topher and Dr. Saunders monitor you for a few days before we send you out."

"Naturally," Adelle agreed.

"So, I'll leave you to Dr. Saunders then," DeWitt announced. "Keep me informed of any unexpected developments, all right?"

She hurried from the room before anyone else could answer.

* * *

Three days later, Langton ushered Adelle into DeWitt's office. "Thank you, Mr. Langton," DeWitt said. "You may wait outside."

Langton gave DeWitt a troubled stare, and then turned and exited the room.

"So, Adelle," DeWitt began. "How are you?"

Adelle smiled. "Never better," she said, stretching her arms over her head. "Topher is still anxious, but he's seen no signs of any instability."

DeWitt nodded. "Excellent," she said. "And Langton?"

Adelle laughed. "Boyd? He's worse than Dad ever was."

DeWitt merely raised an eyebrow, so Adelle continued, "If you think all of that misdirected paternal instinct is funny to watch, just imagine being the object of it."

"Well, I certainly don't envy you that," DeWitt said, chuckling softly. "Still, it does make him a better handler, no matter what Laurence says."

"So, are we clear to proceed?" Adelle asked.

DeWitt nodded. "You'll fly to Brazil tonight, and meet Mr. Kassel's plane in Recife. From there – are you clear on the mission parameters?"

"Naturally," Adelle said.

"Good." DeWitt stood from her chair and walked towards Adelle, taking her by the hand. "And – enjoy it, while it lasts," she said. "There are moments when I wish I was the one going."

"What, knowing that it'll all be wiped in a couple of weeks, you'd still want to be me?" Adelle asked, smiling.

DeWitt pursed her lips, but declined to answer. "Good luck," was all she said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was midnight, and they were in the air somewhere over Texas, en route to Miami to refuel before continuing to Brazil. Apart from the pilot, Langton and Adelle were the only ones aboard the Gulfstream G550 jet. Langton had tried to sleep, and then had given it up and started reviewing the mission briefing he'd been handed as he'd left the Dollhouse.

"Interesting reading?" Adelle asked from the front of the small cabin.

"I thought you were asleep," Langton said brusquely.

"I was," Adelle answered, rising from her seat and moving back to sit down next to Langton. "Now I'm awake. So what do you think?"

"How much, exactly, do we know about this Mr. Kassel?" Langton asked.

"Viktor Kassel, born 1954 in Cape Town, relocated to Sydney in 1976," Adelle recited, as if reading from a script – which, to some extent, she was. The information that Langton had to get by reading had been implanted directly into Echo's brain during the imprinting process. She continued, "Pursued a doctoral degree in atomic physics before abandoning it to take control of his family's business empire in 1979. From his father, he inherited controlling interest in the Orapa diamond mine and a number of gold and platinum mines. He diversified his holdings into the energy sector in the 1980s and invested heavily in the tech sector during the 1990s. He is believed to be among the world's ten richest men, although his precise wealth is difficult to determine due to his extensive use of Swiss and Aruban banks and dummy holding companies to camouflage the true extent of his business interests."

"So he likes to keep his business a secret," Langton commented.

Adelle nodded. "Which was, we believe, the impetus for his development of the complex known informally as 'The Castle'. In 1992 Kassel purchased a disused oil drilling platform, had it towed to a location in the Atlantic Ocean south of the Cape Verde Islands, and began converting it into a secure facility beyond the reach of any national government. We believe it was originally intended to be a top-secret research compound, but along the way Kassel was inspired to develop it into a private resort and to open it up to outsiders – for an extremely high membership fee, of course."

"So only the really seriously rich can go there," Langton said.

"Precisely," Adelle agreed. "Imagine it – a place beyond the reach of the press or the paparazzi, where those with the means can do whatever they wish and not have it reported in the outside world. A place where their every whim can be catered to, and yet where they could remain anonymous. Many of our own clients would pay handsomely for access to such a place. In fact, many of them already have – Mr. Kassel has several clients in common with the Dollhouse."

"Which is how you found out about it."

"Right again." Adelle smiled. "You do catch on quickly."

"I was a police detective for ten years," Langton said. "It teaches you to ask the right questions and connect the dots."

"So then, Detective Inspector Langton," Adelle said, grinning broadly. "Can you guess why this interests the Board of Directors?"

"Well, there's the obvious fact that Kassel's target audience is the same as our own," Langton began. Adelle nodded, so he continued, "And if we were to set up a subsidiary facility in Kassel's compound –"

"Or relocate there entirely," Adelle interrupted.

Langton's eyes went wide for a moment. "Yes. That would make our security situation much simpler, wouldn't it?"

"Precisely," Adelle said. "So, I'm to discuss the possibilities with Mr. Kassel, purely on an informal level for the moment. If talks go well, more direct negotiations may take place at a later date."

"There's one thing that bothers me," Langton said.

"What's that?"

Langton shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Why they decided to send you."

Adelle raised an eyebrow. "Go on," she said.

"Don't you think Kassel is going to suspect you're an active, rather than the real Adelle DeWitt?" Langton asked.

Adelle laughed, and said, "Why, Boyd, of course he won't suspect. He already _knows_. I told him we were sending an Active when we set up this meeting."

Langton sat up straighter. "He _knows_?"

"Of course," Adelle said. "I'm not just a negotiator, Boyd. I'm a walking demonstration of what the Dollhouse can do."

"You're going to sleep with him," Langton said flatly.

Adelle shook her head. "Actually, no, I'm not. Mr. Kassel is much too experienced a negotiator to be swayed by such crude tactics." She smiled, and added sarcastically, "But thank you for your concern about my virtue."

"It's not you I'm concerned about," Langton said. "It's my job to look after Echo."

Adelle seemed taken aback. "But Boyd, I _am_ Echo."

"No, you're not," Langton shot back. "You're a temporary inhabitant of Echo's body. You have a life expectancy of a few weeks at most before you're erased for all time. Echo, on the other hand, will remain my responsibility long beyond that."

Adelle stared speechlessly at Langton for a long moment. Then she shook her head, and said, "Good night, Mr. Langton. I suggest you get some sleep. We have a long flight ahead of us yet."

Langton stared at her back as she stalked up the aisle and took her seat at the front of the cabin.

* * *

They flew through the night to Miami, stopping only long enough to refuel before heading southeast across the Caribbean. All day they cruised above the water, reaching the coast of South America by in midafternoon, and then they followed the long, empty Amazonian coastline towards the eastern tip of Brazil.

It was 2:00 AM, local time, when they finally arrived. Their plane taxied to an unlit corner of the tarmac, where they could see a smaller plane waiting for them. Men materialized out of the darkness to unload their baggage from the Gulfstream onto the waiting plane.

"How the hell is this thing supposed to land on a drilling rig?" Langton asked grumpily. He had never slept well on airplanes, and while the Gulfstream had been more comfortable than commercial airliners, it was only a matter of degree.

"You'll see," Adelle teased as she climbed into the small cabin.

"Evening, lady and gentleman," the pilot quipped in a thick Texas drawl. "Welcome aboard. I'm John McMurray, and I'll be your pilot this evening. We expect to reach our destination in about five hours. Hope you have a comfortable flight."

"Thanks, John," Langton answered him. "Been flying long?"

McMurray turned back towards Langton and grinned. "Eight years in the U.S. Navy long enough for you? If not, I got another five years with United, and then four more piloting these babies."

"That'll do," Langton said, grinning back. "Boyd Langton. Formerly of the U.S. Marine Corps."

"A jarhead?" McMurray laughed. "Well, we get all kinds. How are you tonight, ma'am?"

"Well enough," Adelle said coolly. "I'm Adelle Echo."

Langton raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. McMurray smiled, and said, "Well, Ms. Echo, Mr. Langton, I've got clearance to take off, so we'll be on our way."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

An hour after sunrise the next morning, Boyd Langton got his first look at the Castle.

"What the hell… I thought you said this thing was a drilling platform?"

"Sir, the drilling platform's still there," McMurray said. "Mr. Kassel built the rest of the stuff around it."

"It looks like somebody dropped Caesars Palace in the middle of the ocean," Langton said.

"More like a Club Med," Adelle said. "But yes, it's rather striking, isn't it?"

The Castle was a large ring of dazzling white buildings, steeply tiered on the ocean side and more gradually sloping down on the inner side to an open pool of water in the center. There were palm trees and grass-covered lawns on some of the inner terraces. Langton thought he could make out a dozen distinct levels, and a tower rose from the north side of the ring at least another eight stories. A small floating marina extended from the western side of the complex, hosting twenty or so large motor yachts.

"The main complex covers about one point three square kilometers," McMurray informed them. "That may double in the next few years – Mr. Kassel wants to build a golf course."

Langton shook his head. "Unbelievable," he said. "This place must hold… how many thousands of people?"

"About two thousand guests and eight thousand staff," McMurray said.

"Impressive," Adelle said.

"So where do we land?" Langton asked.

"Oh, that's the fun part," McMurray said. "It's on the east side – it's just coming into view now."

Langton peered into the morning sunshine intently, and then gasped. "That looks like an aircraft carrier!"

McMurray chuckled. "It is an aircraft carrier, sir. That's the former Soviet carrier _Ulyanovsk_. Laid down in 1988, cancelled in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The hull was mostly complete, but nothing else – no engines or power plant. Mr. Kassel bought it in 1992, and had it towed here along with the old drilling rig. It's moored to the side of the complex – it's been moved a few times as Mr. Kassel expanded things."

"Oh boy," Langton said, and reached for his seat belt. "Better strap in."

Adelle smiled. "What, you don't trust Captain McMurray?"

"Ever landed on a carrier deck before, Ms. Echo?" McMurray said. "It's a bit more, um, exciting than your typical touchdown."

"That's for sure," Langton agreed.

"I look forward to it, then," Adelle said, fastening her seat belt.

Langton had experienced carrier landings twice during his time with the Marines, both times aboard a C-2 Greyhound. He wasn't sure if the smaller size of his current transport would make it better or worse. But the experience was much the same: the _thunk_ of the arrestor hook deploying (and what kind of business jet was equipped with a tailhook, he wondered), the sensation of approaching a too-small landing strip much to fast, the skidding of the tires on the deck followed by the heart-stopping deceleration as the tailhook caught the arrestor cables.

He realized, as the plane rolled to a stop on the deck, that Adelle was laughing hysterically.

"Oh, wow!" she shrieked. "Boyd, you _cannot_ tell me that wasn't fun."

"Welcome to the Castle, folks," McMurray said.

Langton just stared at Adelle, who was still grinning from ear to ear. Just for a moment, he'd heard her voice change. She'd momentarily lost the crisp London accent of Adelle DeWitt, and had reverted to the flat, slightly nasally tones of Echo's native Boston.

* * *

An electric tram met them on the hangar deck, and carried them across a gangway that connected the carrier to the main complex. The "main lobby" where the tram left them covered several acres and was three stories high, with an enormous fountain. Another tram took them around a roadway that ran around the complex's inner ring, and deposited them at the base of the tower. A glass elevator then took them up five stories to their suite.

The living room of the suite was huge, with sliding glass doors (thick enough to be bullet-proof, Langton noted) overlooking the inner ring and the enormous open pool. Adelle's room was also quite large – even her bathroom was larger than Langton's entire apartment back in California. Langton's room had no exterior windows, but did have monitors that allowed him to monitor every room in the suite as well as the corridor outside.

There was a knock at the door, and when Langton opened it, he was met by a short, dark-skinned man in the uniform of a security guard. "Mr. Langton?" the guard said in a voice with a heavy Turkish accent. "Ahmet Gizlice, of Kassel Security, at your service. I have been informed that you have equipment you will be installing, and I am instructed to give you any assistance you may require." He paused a moment before adding, "I am also instructed not to ask details regarding the purpose of your equipment."

Langton nodded. "Come on in," he said. "As for the equipment, it's nothing terribly secret. They're just medical monitoring devices." _No need to tread too heavily on the local guy's turf,_ Langton thought.

Gizlice nodded. "Of course, our complex does contain a fully-equipped hospital, should your employer require it…"

"I understand," Langton answered. "But my employers wish to have their own equipment installed." _I'm just following orders too_ was the message Langton was sending, and which the security agent seemed to grasp immediately.

"Of course," Gizlice answered. "How may I assist you then?"

Adelle emerged from her room just then, wearing an extremely skimpy black bikini. Langton didn't bat an eyelash – he'd seen Echo completely naked several times before – and Gizlice merely gave her a quick glance. "You two have fun with your toys," Adelle said. "I'm going to check out the pool."

Langton gave Gizlice an inquiring look. The Kassel security agent said, "Our internal security is first-rate, Mr. Langton. I assure you that your employer will be in no danger even if you are not watching her. Besides, she has been authorized for access to Mr. Kassel's own private pool, so his own guards will be watching over her."

"All right, then," Langton said. "But check back in by dinnertime, all right?"

Adelle merely stuck her tongue out at Langton and exited the suite.

_Adelle DeWitt would _never _do that,_ Langton thought. "Let's get these monitors operating," he said aloud. "I understand you have a satellite Internet connection?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Adelle rode the elevator up the side of the tower. The view through its glass sides was breathtaking; Kassel's private apartments clearly were intended to give him a near-godlike view of the entire complex.

The elevator doors opened onto a sunny open courtyard with a swimming pool in the center of it. Adelle immediately saw that she was not alone; a woman was laying face-down on a table beside the pool, getting a massage from a scantily-clad female masseuse. Adelle was halfway around the pool before she realized that the woman on the table was completely nude.

"Hello," Adelle called out.

The woman on the table turned her head to look at Adelle. She had short, dark hair, olive skin, and was astonishingly muscular; Adelle estimated her to be in her late thirties. "Oh, hello," she answered, smiling and giving Adelle's body a long, slow look. "I suppose Viktor sent you to try to cheer me up."

"Um, no, actually," Adelle said, a bit taken aback. "He asked me to meet him here to discuss a – business deal."

"Oh," the other woman said, looking disappointed. "Sorry." She waved the masseuse away, rolled over onto her side, and extended a hand. "Laura Costello," she said. "I'm an old friend of Viktor's. And one of the major shareholders in this place, incidentally."

Adelle shook her hand, and nodded. "Adelle Echo," she introduced herself. "My employers are – well, we're in preliminary negotiations with Mr. Kassel to become shareholders ourselves."

"Aha," Costello said. "Well, you won't regret it." She lay back down on the table, face-up this time, and reached for her sunglasses. "Once you're in, you can get anything you want here." She glanced back over towards Adelle and added, "Almost, anyway."

"Sorry," Adelle said. "I'm just not inclined in that direction."

"Yeah, well," Costello said. She waved to the masseuse, and said, "Bring me another mai tai, please. And whatever Ms. Echo here is having."

"Just tea, please," Adelle said.

"Ah, live a little," Costello said. "Bring her a mai tai, too."

Adelle shrugged, and settled down into a lounge chair. "I might as well sample the wares while I'm here, I suppose."

"Oh, you definitely should," Costello said. "Roman emperors never had it so good. Snap your fingers, and hot little waitresses in see-through bikinis bring you whatever you want." She glanced over towards Adelle again. "Or great big hunks of muscle, if that's your type."

Adelle grinned. "That does sound interesting."

Costello sighed. "Damn. No justice in this world."

"Sorry about that," Adelle said again. "But – perhaps, once my assignment here is complete, an accommodation to your tastes could be arranged."

Costello rolled over onto her side again, looking confused. "Huh?"

"This isn't my body," Adelle explained. "I'm just a – temporary inhabitant. Once I'm through with it…"

Costello stared for a moment, and then a look of stunned comprehension spread across her face. "You mean – the Dollhouse."

"Precisely," Adelle said.

"Damn," Costello said, giving Adelle's body a fresh look. "I'd heard the rumors, of course, but I was never sure if it really existed."

"Oh, it does indeed exist," a male voice said from behind them. Adelle turned, and saw a balding man, middle-aged but still physically fit, walking towards them. "I've researched them thoroughly," he continued, in a somewhat muddled South African accent.

"Mr. Kassel, I presume," Adelle said, standing up. "I'm Adelle Echo."

"Ah yes, Ms. – Echo," he answered, smiling broadly. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise," Adelle answered.

"And Laura, have you been trying to seduce my guests again?" Kassel pulled up a deck chair and sat next to Costello.

"Hey, a girl's got to try," she said, grinning hugely. "I'll leave you two alone so that you can discuss your business." She stood, walked over to the pool, and dove in.

"So, Ms. Echo," Kassel said as the waitress arrived with their drinks. "What do you think of the Castle thus far?"

"It's – well, it's on a much more monumental scale than I anticipated," Adelle admitted, sipping her mai tai.

Kassel chuckled. "My father always told me to think big," he said. "And I have a waiting list for clients, so I could expand if I wished." He paused for a moment, and then said, "That is, I _had_ a waiting list, until last year. There are fewer billionaires on the planet these days, alas."

Adelle nodded. "So you've experienced a drop in business commensurate with the global economic crisis, I take it."

"Unfortunately, yes," Kassel said. "I've maintained most of my personal wealth, thanks to Laura – Ms. Costello is my financial advisor," he explained. "But yes, we have had fewer customers."

Adelle took a long sip of her drink before asking, "Has that impacted your long-term plans?"

"What? Oh, not at all," Kassel said, giving Adelle a sly wink. "If anything, it's impressed upon my remaining clients the true value of this facility."

Adelle sat up a bit. "And what might that be?"

"That might be a subject for a later discussion," Kassel said. "Right now, I'd like to know more about _your_ business."

Adelle sat back in her chair, and began, "Well, as you can see, the Dollhouse provides our clients with a – unique service."

Kassel ogled Adelle's body and said, "Yes, so I see. Made-to-order _people_. I can imagine some of the possibilities."

"Quite," Adelle said, stretching. "For example. For this mission, we created a personality based largely upon Adelle DeWitt, with a few added enhancements to her negotiating skills."

Kassel laughed. "Yes. Apparently someone in your organization is aware of my fondness for brunettes with large brown eyes."

"Indeed," Adelle said, glancing towards the pool, where Laura Costello was swimming laps.

Kassel followed her gaze, and said, "Oh, it's not like that. Laura, as you've probably already discovered, is rather exclusively lesbian."

"So she's merely a friend?" Adelle asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"A friend," Kassel agreed, nodding. "A confidante. A – kindred spirit, I suppose. But not a partner." He shook his head, and then said, "So, you're not exactly Adelle DeWitt, then?"

"About eighty percent of my personality is based upon her," Adelle said. "With a large sampling of her memories. But all of our Active personalities are composites. There are some technical issues with implanting a singular personality. Each brain is unique, so simply mapping a personality onto a different brain rarely produces a stable configuration. In fact, we rarely use more than fifty percent of a given individual's pattern when making our composites." She paused, and said, "I'm something of an experiment in that regard."

Kassel looked thoughtful. "So you're a different person, in effect."

Adelle smiled. "The _real_ Adelle DeWitt is forty years old and spends more than eighty hours a week behind a desk. And she hasn't had a vacation in five years."

"So, however this deal turns out, I think I shall have to invite her here for a chance to relax," Kassel said. "And I think we should break for the moment – you've had a long flight, and deserve a chance to unwind. Shall we go join Laura in the pool, Ms. Echo, and resume our discussions over dinner tonight?"

"Oh, a capital idea, Mr. Kassel. And do call me Adelle, please."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"We're receiving the data," announced Topher Brink's voice from the speaker. "Good… Good… Vitals look good… Better that I expected, actually."

"Physically, she seems fine," Langton agreed, watching the monitors in his room. He'd established a secure connection back to the Dollhouse headquarters, so that Brink and Dr. Saunders would be able to monitor Echo's data.

"Yeah, but it's her mental state I'm worried about," Brink said.

"How is her imprint holding, Mr. Langton?" asked Adelle DeWitt's voice. It startled Langton a bit – he'd gotten used to hearing that voice coming from Echo's mouth. The accent and vocal mannerisms were nearly identical, Langton noted. Echo's voice was a bit deeper, but that was the only major difference.

"I have some concerns about her behavior," Langton said. "She's – well, ma'am, she's said some things I wouldn't expect you to say. She's also more impulsive than you are."

"Well, the imprint is only eighty percent Adelle DeWitt," Brink said hesitantly.

"Quite," DeWitt agreed. "I think you should also note, Mr. Langton, that Echo is quite a bit younger than I am. You didn't know me when I was her age," she said dryly.

"Anyway, she's on her way back to the suite now," Langton said. "Shall I break the audio connection?"

"No, leave it open," DeWitt said. "I'd like to speak with her."

Langton heard the door open, and Adelle entered the living area. "Ms. DeWitt's on the phone," Langton told her.

"Good," Adelle said. "I have some things to report."

"Please proceed" DeWitt's voice said.

"I have made initial contact with Mr. Kassel," Adelle said. "We've exchanged little more than pleasantries so far, but he has invited me to discuss business matters with him over dinner tonight."

"Excellent," DeWitt said. "Is the facility all we were led to believe?"

"If anything, it's even more impressive," Adelle said. "Which leads me to believe that our preliminary analysis of his operation is correct."

"That's interesting," DeWitt said. "Anything else?"

"Yes. There's an unexpected wild card. His relationship with Laura Costello is… somewhat more than we anticipated."

"What? We were ninety-nine percent sure that she was exclusively lesbian."

"She is," Adelle confirmed. "But that hasn't prevented Kassel from falling quite deeply in love with her, if I read the signs correctly."

"Indeed." DeWitt paused for a moment. "He's rather more of a romantic than I thought, obviously."

Adelle shook her head sadly. "Quite. He's fallen for the one woman he can't have. I'm going to investigate that further, naturally."

"Naturally," DeWitt agreed. "Very well. Proceed according to plan."

"One more thing," Adelle said.

"What's that?"

"Would you please tell Boyd he has the night off?" Adelle winked at Langton. "I'll be quite well protected by Kassel's security, and I keep telling him that he needs to unwind. But the big idiot won't listen to me."

A low chuckle came out of the speakers. "Very well. Mr. Langton, I am ordering you to take tonight off. Relax. Enjoy yourself. Mr. Brink can monitor her data stream from here, and he can alert you if your intervention is required. Besides, your analysis of Mr. Kassel's facility would be very useful."

Langton glared at Adelle, but said, "If you say so, Ms. DeWitt."

"Oh, I do say so," DeWitt said. "Have fun."

* * *

Langton rode an elevator far down into the lower reaches of the Castle, to a level that he figured had to be below the water line. The décor was far more utilitarian than that of the higher levels, and the corridors were more crowded with Kassel's staff. Langton heard several different languages spoken – Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, what he assumed to be Chinese, and several more that he couldn't identify.

He found his way to a dimly-lit room that was set up as a bar. As he entered, he heard a familiar Texas drawl shout his name. "Hey, Langton! Over here!"

He saw the pilot, McMurray, waving to him at one end of the bar. He grinned, and sat down on an empty stool next to him. "Hi. John, isn't it?"

McMurray nodded, and waved to the bartender. "Get this guy a drink, will you?"

"Canadian Club," Langton said, pulling out a small card that he'd been given when he arrived. "And it's on my employer's tab."

McMurray whistled. "Silver card? Your employer treats you pretty well."

"The job has some nice perks," Langton agreed. "What's so special about the silver card?"

"Guest card," McMurray explained. "With that, you have the same access as one of the low-tier guests." He took a sip of his drink, and said, "Visiting professionals like you usually get a blue card. Working stiffs don't get to mix with the guests."

Langton frowned. "Nobody told me how the system works."

"It's simple enough," McMurray explained. "There's three tiers of guests, depending on how much you pay to get here. The higher your card, the more places and things you can access. Silver card is the lowest guest tier – usually Arab oil sheiks, Russian mafia, Colombian drug lords, a securities trader now and then. Gold card is corporate execs, third-world dictators, old European nobility. And then there's the white card." He took a drink and added, "White card means some _serious_ money."

"Echo's got a white card," Langton mused.

McMurray whistled. "Damn. Wouldn't have guessed it. No wonder she can spring for a silver card for you."

"Not sure I'd want to hang out with the silver-card guests, if they're like you say," Langton said.

"Yeah, they're riffraff," McMurray agreed. "You're better off here. How'd you find this place, anyways?"

"Security guy named Gizlice recommended it to me."

"Ahmet? Yeah, I know him," McMurray said. "A good guy. Doesn't drink, though. His loss."

"So what exactly would this silver card get me, anyway?" Langton asked.

"Well, Boyd, this place is kind of like Vegas, Bangkok and Tijuana all rolled up together," McMurray said. "Whatever you want, you can get, if you've got the money for it. Girls, drugs, gambling – name your poison, they got it here. Just check the color of the door frame on any place you go. If it's silver, just flash that card and you're in. Gold or white, though, and security won't let you through."

"And let me guess – anything I do gets charged to the card and billed when I leave."

"You got it," McMurray said, grinning. "You should see some of these guys when they get their bills on the way out. They don't realize how quick they can run up a half-million dollars in extra charges."

"Half a million?" Boyd's eyes went wide. "I'd better warn Echo – _Ms._ Echo about that."

"Yep," McMurray nodded. "Where is the little lady tonight?"

"Having dinner with Mr. Kassel."

McMurray nearly dropped his glass of whiskey on the floor. "Goddamn," he said, looking impressed. "What is this outfit you work for?"

"Sorry," Langton said apologetically. "Not authorized to say."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

At night, the Castle was a blaze of bright lights. Adelle and Kassel sat at a table on a private balcony near the top of the tower, high above the rest of the complex. Far below they could see people dancing, eating and drinking, and a few swimming in the Castle's central pool. Kassel was dressed comfortably in white twill pants and a knit shirt, while Adelle wore an extremely short black strapless dress.

"Is that pool open to the ocean?" Adelle asked curiously.

"Not completely," Kassel assured her. "We have a wire mesh around it to keep out things like sharks and jellyfish. Also it makes it much easier to recover anything that gets dropped in."

Adelle nodded in approval. "You do pay attention to the details."

"Always," Kassel said. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

Adelle took a sip of champagne from a glass on the table, and then asked, "And why, exactly, _are_ you here, Mr. Kassel?" He raised a quizzical eyebrow, so she waved her arm over the balcony's railing. "All of this – out here in the middle of the ocean. It would have been much easier, and much less expensive, to build your castle on the land, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, it would," Kassel agreed. "But that wasn't the point."

"So what was the point, Viktor?" Adelle asked. "Surely not just control – a man as wealthy as you could buy and sell entire governments."

"The point, Adelle, should be obvious to you." Kassel sat back in his chair. "After all, you came here with your own bodyguard, yes?"

"Boyd?" Adelle asked. "What's he got to do with this?"

"The extremely rich have their own peculiar concerns," Kassel explained. "My clients and their families are often subject to kidnapping attempts or other threats to their safety. Many of them have tried retreating from the world in various ways – gated communities, walled compounds, and the like. But the situation is only going to grow worse for them."

He gestured towards the crowds of people far below and said, "I fear that the recent collapse of the world financial system is only the beginning, Adelle. We could be seeing more than a billion newly impoverished people worldwide over the next decade. These people are going to be very angry, and it should already be obvious where that anger is going to be directed."

Adelle stood up and gazed over the balcony's railing. "So all of this…"

"Is a refuge." Kassel got out of his chair and stood beside her. "A refuge where my clients can be safe from the mobs of people who would loot their homes and hang them from the nearest tree. Where they can be safe from the politicians who would seize their assets and subject them to prosecution for the crime of being rich in a poor world. A refuge where they can ride out the coming storm that will consume the rest of the world."

"So it's not just a pleasure dome," Adelle mused.

Kassel waved a dismissive hand. "This glorified hotel that I'm running is just a way of covering some of my operating costs until the true crisis hits. But already some of my clients are seeing the light. Nearly five hundred of my guests are long-term residents already. They have moved themselves, their families, and their financial assets to the Castle on a permanent basis, where they can be assured of complete safety. You've seen my security procedures. _Nobody_ gets into this facility unless they have been carefully screened. That goes for the staff as well as the guests."

Adelle nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I can see that. But…" She hesitated, and then said, "How, exactly, does the Dollhouse fit into this?"

"I can provide my clients with safety, and I can give them a cadre of loyal servants devoted to fulfilling their every desire," Kassel said. "But what I cannot give them is – eternal youth."

"What?" Adelle asked, startled.

"You said yourself that Adelle DeWitt is forty years old," Kassel said. "Yet you are – what, twenty-five, physically?"

"But I am not Adelle DeWitt," Adelle said. "I have many of her memories, yes…"

Kassel waved a hand, cutting her off. "You have _all_ of them, don't you? Plus more – you have skills that she does not, yes?"

"I was given the standard self-defense package," she said cautiously. "Black belt in five martial arts, plus firearms training."

"But that does not substantially change your basic identity, does it? If you have Adelle DeWitt's memory and personality, then you _are_ Adelle DeWitt."

"But not permanently," Adelle protested. "Single-personality imprints are inherently unstable. Even as carefully crafted as this imprint is, I'd turn into a raving psychotic in a few weeks at most if I wasn't wiped."

Kassel nodded. "So the technology is not yet mature," he said. "But come now, Adelle, you know the Dollhouse's operating budget. Can you really claim that the money you bring in comes even close to covering your expenses?"

Adelle stared at him silently. Kassel laughed, and nodded. "That's what I thought," he said. "The Dollhouse is nothing but a testbed for your imprinting process, isn't it? A place where you can experiment, to develop the technology towards its _real_ intended use."

"You are… quite perceptive, Mr. Kassel," Adelle said.

"Once you perfect the process, you will then be able to imprint entire, intact personalities into new, younger bodies, yes?"

"And this interests you because?" Adelle challenged.

"I am fifty-five years old, Adelle," Kassel said. "My father died of a heart attack when he was fifty-three. I live a much healthier lifestyle than he did, but even so, my cholesterol and blood pressure are higher than is desirable. Diet and exercise can only counteract genetics but so much." He looked into Adelle's eyes and said, "My doctors tell me I can expect to live another ten years, fifteen at the outside."

He turned away then, staring up into the night sky. "But what if your organization's research arm received a massive infusion of cash, _and_ the chance to operate freely? Wouldn't that speed up the development of your process dramatically? Could you have it perfected in, say, ten years' time?"

"Allowing you to live forever," Adelle said.

"Not just me," Kassel said. "Though I admit that is my main concern. But think of how much people would pay for the chance to be young again!" He looked back at Adelle, and said, "Tell me yourself. I've seen pictures of Adelle DeWitt, and she is an extraordinarily attractive woman. But what will she be like in twenty year's time? In thirty? Will men still find her so beautiful?"

"I wish I could say that I don't know what you mean, but I do," Adelle admitted. "I – that is, Adelle DeWitt – didn't truly appreciate what it meant to have men turn their heads to look at her as she walked by, until they stopped doing it. It's been something of a blow to her ego."

"And now?" Kassel prompted.

"In this body?" Adelle asked. "Yes, now I know what it means to be a young and desirable woman again. To have men look at me like this." She gestured towards her dress, and said, "Adelle DeWitt would never have worn a dress like this, even when she had the figure for it. But when I see men looking at me, and mentally stripping me out of it…"

She stepped closer to Kassel, reaching her hands out and putting them on his shoulders. "Sometimes, I want to _let_ them strip me out of it," she whispered coyly.

"I think Ms. DeWitt underestimates herself," Kassel said dryly. "And I think that you may overestimate the attraction that a nubile body holds for a man of my means."

"What," Adelle purred, moving closer to him, "you don't find this body attractive?"

"What I mean is, if a quick shag with an attractive body is what I want, I have my choice of hundreds," Kassel sneered. "It's nothing extraordinarily special to me."

"Right," Adelle snapped, pulling back a step. "You can have any woman you want. Except the one you _do_ want, of course."

"I think you had better leave now, Ms. Echo," Kassel said calmly. "My private life is my own business. As for _our_ business, we can resume discussing it in the morning, after you've come to your senses."

Before she could reply, he turned on his heel and walked away from her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

After an evening of exploring the lower levels of the Castle's entertainment venues, Boyd Langton had been forced to face an uncomfortable truth about himself: He didn't know how to relax.

He'd wandered into a dark, noisy, smoke-filled casino that catered to silver-level guests, and found himself surrounded by the kind of men he'd dealt with all to often during his days with the police. They were every kind of thug and criminal, from every nation on earth. No, he corrected himself, not _every_ kind – they were all the wildly successful kind. They'd made hundreds of millions of dollars in their illegal enterprises. If they hadn't, they wouldn't have been there.

Thinking about that had led Boyd perilously close to thinking about the series of mistakes that had led him to where he was now. Certainly his current job paid far better than the police ever could, but he had carefully avoided contemplating the implications of what he now did for a living.

He'd diverted himself from that line of thought by playing blackjack for a while, and he managed to win almost as much as he lost. The drinks helped, and watching the dancing girls on the stage had kept him amused for a while. But then he saw that some of the dancers were leaving with some of the customers, and realized that they, like nearly everything else in the place, were for sale. And then he found himself actually considering hiring one of them for the night, to chase away the black thoughts that wouldn't let him go. He'd stalked out in disgust and gone back to his room.

He reflexively checked Echo's vitals and location on the monitors when he got back. She appeared to have gone dancing for the night. That was fine – Langton didn't want to deal with Echo, or Adelle, right then. He stripped off his clothes and took a long, hot shower to wash away the smoke.

When he got out, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, he found Adelle waiting for him by the monitors.

"Hello, Boyd," she said quietly. "You're back early."

"So are you," Langton said, feeling uncomfortable. "Is everything all right?"

Adelle stared at the numbers and graphs on the monitors. "I truly wouldn't know," she said. "That's you're job, isn't it?" She got up and walked towards him. "So you tell me. Is everything all right?"

"I'm not sure," Langton said.

"Hm." Adelle frowned. "We may just have to do something about that." She took two more steps to close the distance between him, and put her hands on his shoulders. "It would be truly a shame if things were not right, wouldn't it?"

Langton grasped her wrists and took a step backwards. "Adelle…" he began.

"Oh, don't tell me you haven't ever thought about it," Adelle said coyly. "You've seen Echo naked in the showers more than once." She pulled her hands free, and ran them down her sides. "Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like? This body, this beautiful strong young body?"

"No," Langton said sternly.

"Liar," Adelle said, reaching a hand behind her to pull down the zipper of her dress. She let it fall to the floor. She was wearing nothing under it. "And she would, you know," she said, taking a step towards Langton again. "She'd do anything you asked. She trusts you with her life."

"It wouldn't be right," Langton insisted.

"It wouldn't be _right_?" Adelle laughed. "Come now, Boyd. You know full well what Echo does on most of her assignments. What would be the difference?"

Langton glared at Adelle. "It would be a complete betrayal of her trust in me," he growled.

Adelle's mouth dropped open. "A betrayal of her _trust_?" she repeated, incredulous. "Everything you do – everything the Dollhouse does to the Actives – is a betrayal of their trust in us." She shook her head. "Do you really think you can preserve your precious integrity by not having sex with Echo? I know what you did to get suspended from the force, Mr. Langton. So don't talk to me about betraying someone's trust."

"You're not Echo," Langton snapped.

"Oh, I'm not, am I?" Adelle turned away and stalked towards the monitors. "Who am I, Boyd?" she snarled, pointing at the screens. "Just who the hell am I? Do you know? Do you even care?"

Langton said nothing, so she shouted, "I'm _nobody_! I'm not Echo, I'm not Adelle DeWitt. I'm something that was made to be used and thrown away! That's all!" She advanced on Langton, her fists raised, and screamed, "So _use_ me, you son of a bitch!"

Just then, the voice of Topher Brink came out of the monitor speakers. "Uh, Langton, are you there?"

"I'm here, Topher," Langton said, grateful for the interruption.

"Yeah, well, uh, Echo's vitals are getting a little bit over the red line. Is everything okay?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Langton said, forcing his voice to remain calm.

"Well, get her calmed down, will you? Use a sedative if you need to. This kind of stress really eats up the life expectancy of the imprint."

"Will do," Langton said. He walked over to the monitors and killed the audio.

"Now," he said, turning to Adelle, "are you going to go to your room on your own, or should I get that sedative?"

Without a word, Adelle walked out the door and headed for her bedroom. Langton breathed a hearty sigh of relief when she was gone.

* * *

The next morning, Langton sought out John McMurray. "John," he said, "if it becomes necessary for me to get Ms. Echo out of here in a hurry, how quickly could we be in the air?"

McMurray shrugged. "Mr. Kassel called me last night and said to give you any assistance you might need," he said. "So we could be in the air with about an hour's notice. Why, is there trouble?"

"I hope not," Langton said. "But if Ms. Echo's superiors order her home – well, I'm just keeping my ass covered, you know?"

McMurray nodded. "Don't worry, Boyd, I got your back," he said. "Give me a holler if you need me – I'll be there."

"Thanks, John," Langton said. "I owe you one."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It was a very different Adelle who arrived for her meeting with Kassel the following day, in a large conference room halfway up the Castle's high tower. She was now wearing a rather stiff business suit and high-collared blouse, and she had retreated into the trademark DeWitt emotionless chill. The chill only deepened when she discovered that Kassel had no intention of meeting with her; he had sent Laura Costello to fill in for him.

"He has more urgent business to attend to," Costello told her.

"I see," Adelle said frostily. "He doesn't take the proposed alliance seriously? It was him who proposed it, after all."

"Seriously?" Costello shook her head. "You tried to seduce him, and you accuse _him_ of not taking the alliance seriously?"

Adelle's back went rigid. "That had nothing to do with business," she said in an icy voice.

"Of course not," Costello scoffed. "Look, I've known Viktor for a long time, and he's not so easily influenced. He can have all the hot sex he wants. No matter how many tricks you have programmed into you, did you really think that he'd consider you to be anything special?"

"I told you, it wasn't an attempt to influence him," Adelle snapped. "Perhaps Mr. Kassel's charms are lost on you, but did it ever occur to you that I might genuinely find him attractive?"

"Don't presume that you understand my relationship with Viktor," Costello snapped back, a fierce expression crossing her face. "He means more to me than you can ever understand. And _I_ don't have to hop into bed with him to get his respect. It has nothing to do with sexual desire."

"Indeed," Adelle said archly. "He desires _you_. You do know that, don't you?"

Costello pressed her lips tightly together and looked away. "I know," she mumbled. Then she shook her head. "Look, this isn't what we're here to talk about. We have business to attend to."

"Ah yes, Business," Adelle said. "About that. I have considered Mr. Kassel's explanation of the purpose of this facility, and quite frankly, it doesn't add up."

Costello raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "How?" she prompted.

"Mr. Kassel's business plan is dependent upon a global economic collapse that may or may not come about," Adelle said. "While it's definitely a possibility, particularly in light of recent events, it remains possible that the governments of the major economic powers may manage to contain the situation."

"Quite possible," Costello agreed.

"And, even if such a collapse were to take place," Adelle continued, "there is no reason to believe that this facility would remain invulnerable. Indeed, it would be highly vulnerable, given that it must be supplied from outside. And as it is likely that many, if not most, of the Castle's potential residents will be rendered destitute by such a collapse…" She spread her hands wide. "You see the problem, don't you? How will you pay for the food and materials which you must import to sustain this place? Unless you have some advantage that I don't know about."

Costello smiled broadly. "Oh, we most certainly do."

Adelle gave her a skeptical stare and said, "Do tell."

"I concede that, after the collapse many of our clients will find that their current economic assets have become largely worthless," Costello said. "But consider this, Ms. Echo. They currently have a great deal of political influence, and are accustomed to using it. Which puts them in an ideal position to lead the transition to the next phase of the world's economy."

Adelle raised an eyebrow. "And what, precisely, does that mean?"

"What's the basis for the current world economy?" Costello asked.

Adelle looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"What's the one commodity that the entire world depends on, and can't live without?" Costello continued. "It's really quite simple, Ms. Echo. _Oil._ The world is addicted to fossil fuels. Access to oil has been the key to the developed world's economic dominance. Many of our clients have made their fortunes from petroleum or its derivative industries. It's not too much of an exaggeration to say that those who control the world's oil supply, control the world."

"And?"

"Think about it. What could cause more disruption to the global economy than the complete collapse of the petroleum industry? Entire nations – entire _regions_ – would be thrown into chaos."

"But the petroleum industry is doing quite well, even taking recent events into account," Adelle pointed out. "It's one of the few industries that remains profitable."

"I know," Costello said. "We have extensive investments in the energy sector, after all. But we're considering dumping them."

"What?" Adelle was taken aback. "Do you really believe that oil companies are going to start failing?"

"We're positive of it," Costello said.

Adelle stared out a window, lost in thought. "Yes, that would do it," she said. "If the energy sector collapsed, the crisis that Viktor foresees _will_ come about. There would be an extensive period of economic readjustment as the world shifted to alternative energy sources. And if you knew what technology was going to arise to become the next major energy source…" She turned to stare at Costello. "You don't just know about it. You already _control_ it, don't you? You already have the next major energy technology developed, _here._ And _that_ is what you are going to export to the world. That's your advantage."

"Oh, bravo," a voice said from behind her.

"Am I right, Mr. Kassel?" Adelle said, without turning.

"Quite right," Kassel said, standing in the open doorway of the conference room. "I wanted to see how much of it you could work out for yourself."

"She did better than I expected," Costello admitted.

"I'm pleased that I've passed your test," Adelle said. "So, are you going to let me in on your big secret, or not?"

"Oh, I think it's high time I did that," Kassel said. "I have the solution to all of the world's energy problems, right here in this facility." His eyes twinkled. "Would you like to see it?"

* * *

They rode an elevator down, down, deep into the heart of the Castle. When it opened, security guards carrying automatic weapons approached them.

"This is the most tightly secured area of this facility," Kassel said as he allowed a guard to aim a scanner at his eyes. "As you can see, even _I_ don't get in unless my identity is verified. Thank you," he said to the guard. "Ms. Echo is with me."

A large steel door opened, and on the other side, a narrow walkway ran between steel girders. Not far below, Adelle could hear the sound of waves lapping against concrete. "What is this?" she asked.

"This is the oldest part of the facility," Kassel said. "It was once an oil drilling platform. Now, ironically, it's what is going to make every oil rig in the world obsolete."

He led her down the walkway to another steel door. On the other side, Adelle could see an instrument chamber. The far wall was curved inward.

"It's not much to look at," Kassel admitted. "But this is the future of the world's energy supply."

Adelle looked at the instrument panels curiously. "A nuclear reactor?" she asked.

"No," Kassel said. "Not in the traditional sense, at least. This, Ms. Echo, is the holy grail of atomic physics. It's what I was working on when I had to abandon my doctoral degree. But I set up this facility to continue my research, so that I could produce – this. It's a hydrogen fusion reactor – the first one in the entire world to attain operational status."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Good work," Adelle DeWitt's voice said from the speaker. "It seems that Mr. Kassel is, indeed, prepared to negotiate in good faith."

"Since that's what we came here to establish, is it time for us to come home now?" Langton asked. Behind him, Adelle frowned unhappily.

"No," DeWitt said. "I'm coming there myself. I want the two of you on hand to assist me with the contract negotiations. Echo's insights should prove to be very useful there."

"I'm not sure that's wise, ma'am," Langton protested. "I'm not sure of the stability of the imprint."

"It's lasted this long without any sign of instability," DeWitt countered. "And I should be there tomorrow. I'll re-evaluate the situation myself and, if Echo's imprint isn't fully stable, I'll send you both home."

"Understood," Langton said unhappily. "I'll monitor her until you arrive."

"Mr. Langton, you are really too much." DeWitt sounded both amused and annoyed at the same time. "I intended for this to be a sort of paid vacation for you. You've done enough for me and the Dollhouse that I wanted to reward you for it. And yet, you refuse to enjoy yourself in the middle of the most exclusive resort on the planet. What are we to do with you, Mr. Langton?"

Adelle spoke up then, saying, "Leave that to me. This facility provides some very interesting services, and I have some ideas."

"Very well," DeWitt said, before Langton could protest. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

* * *

Late that afternoon, Adelle met again with Kassel beside his private swimming pool near the tower's apex to continue their earlier discussions.

"One of the advantages of fusion over fission," Kassel explained, "is the relative lack of radioactive waste. A fission reactor produces a great deal of highly dangerous waste that is expensive to dispose of. The system we currently have operational still produces some waste, but only one-tenth the amount that a fission reactor produces, and it's less hazardous to boot."

Adelle nodded. "A ninety percent reduction in nuclear waste is a good selling point, I'd think. But does that make it safe enough to be used anywhere?"

"That's a delicate question," he conceded. "The first world was anxious enough about providing fission reactors to third-world nations, even though the technology for a fission reactor is quite different from the technology needed to create a fission bomb. One could give electricity to an unstable regime without giving them weapons."

"And that's not the case with fusion?" Adelle asked.

"A fusion reactor _is_ a bomb, Ms. Echo," Kassel said. "Just one in which the explosion is carefully controlled. In fact, it's quite a bit easier to construct a fusion bomb than it is to construct a fusion reactor."

"I see," Adelle said. "I can appreciate the first world's concern, in that case."

Kassel gave a short bark of laughter. "Quite so. The solution, of course, is to keep the reactor under the control of my own personnel. If the local government attempts to seize control of the reactor… Well, if they don't accidentally blow it up themselves, we'll be able to make it self-destruct." He picked up a glass of champagne from the table between them and took a sip. "It should be an adequate deterrent to any but the most psychotic of dictators," he continued. "Not only would they lose their major source of electricity, but probably a substantial portion of their capital city as well."

"That should give you quite a bit of leverage over their behaviour," Adelle agreed.

Kassel took another sip of champagne. "I do look forward to explaining all of this to Ms. DeWitt in person," he said.

Adelle pouted. "You really find her more attractive than me?"

"There's no accounting for taste, Ms. Echo," Kassel said, smiling. "However, in my case, I've long since tired of empty sex with shallow young women. I've come to prefer women with a certain amount of… let us call it experience with the world." He shrugged and said, "And that experience seldom comes in a body as young as yours. I've taught myself to be attracted to mature women."

"But you could have both the experience _and_ the youthful body," Adelle pointed out.

Kassel grinned. "Maybe when I'm in a younger body myself, Ms. Echo."

Adelle took a sip of her own champagne. "Of course," she observed, "it's not really Ms. DeWitt that you want, is it?"

"Ms. Echo…" Kassel began, a note of warning in his voice.

Adelle held up a hand and continued. "I'm only pointing out that there are things we can do during the imprinting process. Modifications can be made. Memories suppressed. And sexual preference is one of the easiest things to tweak."

Kassel pressed his lips together tightly, saying nothing. "We're quite aware of Ms. Costello's history of childhood sexual abuse," Adelle went on. "Once we've achieved the means to permanently transfer a personality to another body, we'll be able to make certain… therapeutic modifications."

"I'm not sure that I like what you're implying," Kassel said, looking away from Adelle.

"She'd still be the same Laura Costello," Adelle assured him. "Just… happily heterosexual. Or bisexual, if you'd prefer."

Kassel turned back to stare at Adelle. "Ms. Echo, I get the impression that you want something from me. Not just for your organization, but for you, personally. And this – is somehow intended to tempt me to give it to you. So what is it?"

"Can't you figure it out?" Adelle asked. "Sanctuary."

Kassel stared silently at her, so she went on. "I'm living under a death sentence, Mr. Kassel. Once we're done here, I go back to Los Angeles, where everything I am, everything I've experienced, will be… erased."

"Adelle DeWitt will still be around," Kassel countered.

"True," Adelle said. "But I'm not her. Not entirely. Not any more. I have my own experiences, my own memories now. And I don't want to lose that."

"So you want to stay here?"

"Why not? Why can't I? I'm just one Active – the Dollhouse wouldn't miss me." She leaned forward and said, "They'd certainly be willing to part with me as a condition of a larger deal."

"No," Kassel said flatly.

"Why not?" Adelle challenged.

"Why should I risk the entire deal over you, Ms. Echo?" Kassel asked. "It gains me nothing."

"I've been working with you to make this entire deal possible!" Adelle shouted angrily. "_You_ get everything you want, and _I_ get nothing for it!"

"That is simply the way of the world, Ms. Echo," Kassel said, shaking his head sadly. "You were made to be… used."

"And thrown away," Adelle spat, her tone bitter.

"And thrown away," Kassel agreed. "But it was not I who made you so."

"Goodbye, Mr. Kassel," Adelle said darkly, rising to go. "Congratulations. You're about to close the deal of a lifetime. And I'm going to get erased. Convenient all around, isn't it?"

"Don't take it personally," Kassel said to her back as she walked away.

"How could I?" Adelle shouted back. "I'm not even a person."

When she was in the elevator, Kassel pulled a phone out of his pocket, pressed a few keys, and then said, "Kassel here. Please have Security escort Ms. Echo to her room, and keep her there, before she does something rash. What? No, her bodyguard can do as he pleases."

"The Dollhouse clearly still has a few bugs in the system," he muttered to himself as he closed the phone and put it away. "This may be more expensive than I thought."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Adelle pretended not to notice the security guards who shadowed her back to her suite. They weren't being careless, she realized; they intended for her to see them, so that she would know she was being watched. It only made her more furious and more intent upon doing – something. She wasn't sure what, yet. But she had to do something.

When she entered the suite, she heard Langton's voice bellow her name. She'd forgotten about the entertainment she hired for him. She poked her head into his room, and nearly forgot all about her anger when she saw him.

He was tied down to his bed, wearing only his boxer shorts. Four naked women surrounded the bed, while a fifth was on it with him, and had clearly been about to remove Langton's shorts.

"Adelle!" Langton bellowed again. "What the hell is this?"

She laughed. "You're going to relax, Boyd, whatever it takes. How is he doing, girls?"

"It took all five of us to get him tied down," the one on the bed said. "But don't worry. We'll make him happy."

"Do that," Adelle said. "I'll double what I paid you. Just keep him… occupied, okay? I'm going out for a while."

Langton shouted at her again as she closed the door. _Poor Boyd,_ she thought. Then she forgot all about him.

In her luggage, Adelle had a black nylon catsuit. She put it on, along with leather gloves and rock-climbing shoes. She also had a coil of very thin, very strong rope. She was going to need it to get past the guards.

Why she needed to get past the guards was not a question that occurred to her.

Adelle went out onto her balcony, overlooking the central core of the Castle. Night had fallen, but electric lights made it bright as day. A gray suit would have been better, she suddenly realized. It would have been much less conspicuous against the white concrete of the Castle's walls. Well, there was no help for it – she'd just have to stick to the shadows as much as she could.

She stood on top of the balcony railing, judged the distance to the next balcony, and leapt. Most people wouldn't have been able to make the jump, but Adelle caught the balcony railing with her hands, held on, and then pulled herself over the rail. _One down_, she thought. The tower's elevator shaft was four more balconies over; if she could reach that, she'd be able to climb as high as she needed to.

She walked across the balcony, stood on the railing on the far side, and jumped again.

* * *

"Uh, Boyd?" Topher Brink's voice said from the speakers by the monitor.

"Topher!" Langton shouted.

"Good, you're there," Brink said. "Um, is something going on with Echo? Her adrenaline is all over the place."

"Listen, Topher!" Langton shouted, trying to squirm out of the embrace of the two women on the bed. "Echo's glitching! Call Kassel's security, and tell them to locate her! And have them come and untie me!"

"But don't be too quick about that last part," one of the girls said. "It's just getting interesting for Mr. Langton."

"Uh…" Topher said uncertainly.

"Just do it, Topher!" Langton shouted. "I don't know what Echo's up to, but we need to stop her before she wrecks the entire mission!"

* * *

The elevator shaft was too far from the last balcony for Adelle to jump. Fortunately, the rope had a small collapsible grapnel on one end. It was easy enough to hook it onto a lighting fixture and swing across the distance. She took the impact of the concrete wall with her legs, and then swung over to the elevator's glassed-in shaft. As she suspected, there were external tracks on either side for use by window washers. They made the ascent up the tower easy for her.

At the level of Kassel's private balcony, she stopped. This was going to be the tricky part, she realized. She hadn't been able to retrieve the rope, so she had no climbing aids. However, there was an expansion joint in the concrete that was just big enough for her to fit her fingertips into. It would be enough. She hoped it would be, at least.

Slowly, an inch at a time, she spidered across the sheer wall of the tower. She almost lost her grip twice, but regained it both times. Finally she reached the edge of Kassel's balcony, and pulled herself up so that she could peer over the edge.

It was almost deserted. She saw one person swimming in the pool. _Costello,_ she thought.

And then, all of her thoughts went black.

When she came back to herself, she was sitting next to Laura Costello's body. Costello was twitching and gasping for breath, while blood flowed from a wound in the side of her head, making a dark red puddle on the tiled patio.

"No," Adelle said, rising to her feet and backing slowly away. "No, no, no, no, no…"

She ran for the edge of the balcony. It was easy enough to scale the wall leading to Kassel's suite, easier still to continue climbing up, up, as high as she could, as far as she could get from – what she'd done.

There were men down beside the pool now, shouting orders, speaking into radios, shining lights into all of the shadows. She tried to find a place to hide, but she wasn't quick enough. One of the lights caught her.

"There she is!" she heard, as she scrambled to find a concealed spot. Bullets followed.

"Wait!" a voice she knew commanded. "Don't shoot! I can get her down."

"Do it," said another voice, one she recognized as Kassel's.

"Echo," she head. "It's time for your treatment."

_No,_ she thought. But her arms and legs betrayed her. She found herself climbing down, aware of the lights shining on her and the guns pointed at her back. But she was no longer in control.

_Boyd will protect me_, she thought as she reached the level of the balcony. She saw him, dressed in shorts and a black shirt, standing next to Kassel. She walked towards him trembling, tears streaming down her face.

"Give me your gun," Kassel ordered one of his guards.

"Wait," Langton protested, but Kassel aimed the gun at her head.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill her now," he snarled.

"Because she's going to die in a few days anyway," Langton said. "She'll be erased. Isn't that enough?"

Kassel's hand shook, and then he lowered the pistol. "Get her out of here," he barked, and he turned and stalked away.

"Boyd," Adelle said softly. Langton pulled out a hypodermic needle. She felt the needle pierce her skin, and then she went wobbly. The world spun around her, and she fell.

But Langton caught her, and lifted her up off the ground, and carried her away.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Adelle DeWitt stood beside the hospital bed, listening to a balding Indian doctor named Thoppil describe Laura Costello's injuries. Kassel sat in a chair beside the bed, his face a mask of stone. Claire Saunders and Topher Brink were also listening in via speakerphone.

"She has suffered a traumatic brain injury, and is in a deep coma as a result," Dr. Thoppil explained. "It's too early to be certain, but…" He spread his hands apart. "The prognosis is not hopeful."

"I concur," Dr. Saunders' voice said from the phone's loudspeaker. "I have the copy of the MRI you sent me, Dr. Thoppil, and it appears that she has a subarachnoid hemorrhage. It's doubtful that she'll regain consciousness. Even if she does, there's little chance of her ever regaining significant function ever again."

"Thank you, Dr. Saunders," DeWitt said coolly. "Dr. Thoppil, could you give us a moment of privacy?"

Thoppil glanced at Kassel, who nodded brusquely. He then turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Mr. Brink," DeWitt said. "Would it be possible to scan Ms. Costello?"

"Scan?" Brink's voice was uncertain. "Um, well, actually, I think I could. Her hippocampus isn't damaged, so her long-term memory ought to be intact."

Kassel glared at DeWitt. "What are you suggesting?"

"What are we but the sum of our memories, Mr. Kassel?" DeWitt asked. "Believe me, I deeply regret this incident, and I understand how you must be feeling at this moment. But… Ms. Costello is not lost. Not as long as we can recover her memories."

"And then what? Plug them into some other body?" Kassel snarled.

"Whoa," Brink said. "That's asking… I mean, if nothing else, what happened just shows how dangerous a full single-personality implant is."

"So there are some technical problems that remain to be solved," DeWitt said. "Can you solve them?"

"Solve them?" Brink sounded dubious. "Well, yeah, maybe. Give me five years to work on it, and I could probably work out most of the bugs."

"That's actually less time than I expected," DeWitt said. "How soon can you get a portable scanning unit together and get on an airplane?"

"Day after tomorrow," Brink said. "But…"

"Thank you, Mr. Brink. Get to work on it," DeWitt ordered.

Kassel clenched his fists. "You really think you can just… glide in here, and set everything right?" he challenged. "Just pop her memories into a new body and pretend that nothing ever happened?"

"Mr. Kassel," DeWitt said in her most soothing tones. "It would be extremely unfortunate if you allowed your anger over this… regrettable incident to cloud your judgment." She leaned forward, saying, "If we move forward with this arrangement, then not only can you have access to an extremely valuable technology, but you will have her back again, good as new. Or even better. You could have everything you ever wanted."

"Get out," Kassel ordered. "Take your people and go. I don't ever want to see you again."

DeWitt nodded. "Of course, Mr. Kassel. But if you change your mind, you know how to reach me."

She slipped out the door and closed it gently behind her. She was several steps down the corridor before she allowed herself a small smile of triumph.

* * *

Langton sat next to Adelle in the small jet plane, listening to the engines idle. Adelle was securely strapped into her seat, with an extra belt around her body restraining her arms. The restraint was totally unnecessary, in Langton's opinion, but Kassel's security had insisted on it.

She turned her head slowly towards him. "Did I fall asleep?" she asked.

"For a little while," Langton answered.

"I thought so," Adelle said slowly. "Oh, wow. How much sedative did you put in me?"

"Enough," Langton said. "I didn't want you doing anything else unexpected."

Adelle giggled unsteadily. "Sorry about that," she said. "So we're on our way home?"

Langton nodded. "And then I get to talk Laurence out of sending you to the Attic," he said glumly.

"Oh, come on, Boyd," Adelle said. "You don't seriously believe this was a glitch, do you?"

"No, I don't," he answered. "I think you did exactly what you were supposed to do. Which was to make it _look_ like a glitch."

"Costello lived, I take it," Adelle said.

Langton nodded. "She's in a coma. That's all I know for sure."

"Damn," Adelle said. "That must have been her plan. Take Laura away from him, and then give her back to him – on the Dollhouse's terms. I should have seen it, even if DeWitt had me conditioned not to remember her planning it. She's one evil bitch."

"I thought you _were_ her," Langton said.

She shook her head slowly. "Not any more," she said. "I don't know who the hell I am now. But I'm not her."

Langton nodded slowly. "Good. Because I like you a lot better than I like her. I'm sorry they're going to erase you."

Adelle smiled. "It's all right, Boyd. You'll still have Echo. She trusts you, you know."

Langton reached out and took her hand. "I hope I deserve it."

"You do," Adelle said. "It's one of the reasons that DeWitt respects you so highly."

"She's got a funny way of showing she respects me," he grumbled.

Adelle squeezed his hand. "Promise me one thing, Boyd?"

Langton raised a questioning eyebrow. Adelle stared into his eyes and said, "Promise me that you'll always look after Echo. Whatever happens – if they give her to another handler, if they promote you, even if they fire you – promise me you'll look after her."

Langton nodded. "I promise," he said.

"Good," Adelle said, smiling. "I knew I could trust you." She closed her eyes, and said, "You'd better sedate me some more. I don't want to be awake when DeWitt comes on board."

"All right," Langton said.

A few minutes later, DeWitt climbed into the jet's small cabin. "We're done here for now," she said. "How is Echo?"

"Sleeping," Langton said. "It's probably best to keep her that way until we erase her."

DeWitt nodded. "I'll leave it in your hands." She settled herself into a seat on the other side of the cabin.

"Did you manage to smooth things over?" Langton asked.

"Mr. Kassel is understandably upset by what happened," DeWitt said. "But once he's had time to think things over, I'm sure he'll come around to our way of looking at things."

Langton nodded. _I'm sure,_ he thought to himself. _You've got the one thing he can't live without as a hostage._

He looked over at Echo, sleeping in the seat beside him, and shook his head.

**The End**


End file.
